No rain, no wet field, no delays. After three rain-curtailed matches, India finally got to play a complete game at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo in the ICC U19 Men’s World Cup. Vihaan Malhotra’s maiden World Cup hundred and Abhigyan Kundu’s fluent 61 lifted India from 130/4 to 352/8, a total that proved more than sufficient as India registered a massive 204-run win over Zimbabwe in their first Super Six game.
The Boys in Blue will take the field on February 1 against arch rivals Pakistan.
Zimbabwe invited India to bat on a rare, bright, sunny day in Bulawayo. Openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Aaron George got the team off to a brisk start. The outfield was lightning quick and the pitch looked a belter to bat on. George threw his wicket away while attempting to clear mid-on. Sooryavanshi continued in his merry ways and brought up his fifty off 24 balls in the ninth over. It was the third fastest fifty in U19 World Cup history. Ayush Mhatre also got off the blocks early, and India were motoring along with 100 runs on the board.
Then came a spirited spell from Tatenda Chimugoro, which brought Zimbabwe back in the game. The left-arm medium pacer snapped the momentum by picking up three wickets. In the span of three deliveries, he accounted for Mhatre and Sooryavanshi.
Malhotra and Kundu joined forces to forge a match-defining 113-run partnership. The in-form Kundu did the bulk of the scoring. However, the wicketkeeper-batter couldn’t convert his fifty into a hundred. Malhotra, though, went on to reach three figures. Scores of 16, 7 and 17 in his last three innings meant India’s vice-captain came into this game under pressure.
He responded with a mature knock and showed glimpses of Yuvraj Singh. His footwork against spin and pace was precise, and he never looked in a hurry. Relying on singles and doubles rather than taking unnecessary risks was the highlight of an innings containing seven fours. The tall, left-handed batter was there for almost 39 overs. A steady 21 from RS Ambrish and a fiery 30 by Khilan Patel helped India cross the 350-run mark for the first time in the tournament.
Even in good batting conditions, it was an uphill task for Zimbabwe. Leeroy Chiwaula was the only batter to get past the 50 mark, while Kian Blignaut showed some fight. Chimugoro enjoyed himself towards the end with a run-a-ball 29.
The Indian bowlers were once again clinical. Ambrish and Henil Patel struck early, sharing three wickets between them inside the power play. Playing his first game, Udhav Mohan was the pick of the seamers, taking three wickets conceding 20 runs in 6.4 overs. Mhatre claimed three wickets with his off-spin.
Brief scores: India 352/8 in 50 overs (Vihaan Malhotra 107 not out; Abhigyan Kundu 61; Tatenda Chimugoro 3/49) beat Zimbabwe 148 in 37.4 overs (Leeroy Chiwaula 62; Tatenda Chimugoro 29; Ayush Mhatre 3/14, Udhav Mohan 3/20) by 204 runs.
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